proverb · Words worth keeping
'Tis the clerk makes the justice.
'Tis the clerk makes the justice.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
An official’s work can depend heavily on the person who prepares and manages its records. The saying draws attention to expertise behind visible authority.
Example
A committee chair acknowledges that accurate preparation by the secretary made a complex meeting possible, while retaining responsibility for the decisions.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The clerk is placed in a decisive role while the justice holds the public office. The contrast can recognise how administrative knowledge, careful records and practical support enable a decision-maker to act. It can also raise a concern about decisions being shaped by someone whose role is less visible. Neither reading excuses an official from responsibility. A useful application asks who supplies the information and whether the final decision has been properly examined.
When to use it
Use it to recognise the support and information behind an official decision.
Keep in mind
Dependence on support staff does not transfer all responsibility away from the decision-maker.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English